Jordan Peele appears to have yet another cultural phenomenon on his hands with his new sci-fi horror extravaganza, Nope. But despite receiving similar praise for his two previous efforts, Get Out and Us, Jordan Peele has rejected the notion that he’s the king of horror.
Twitter user Adam Ellis raised the question as to when Peele should be considered the greatest horror director of all time. Although he did admit it might be a bit of a reach, Ellis proclaimed “At what point do we declare Jordan Peele the best horror director of all time? Can you think of another horror director that had 3 great films, let alone 3 in a row? I can’t.”
Although flattered, Peele respectfully denied the claim, replying: “Sir, please put the phone down I beg you.” Before adding “Sorry. I love your enthusiasm but, I will just not tolerate any John Carpenter slander!!!”
Carpenter’s resume is undoubtedly one of the most impressive in the genre, he most notably directed the original 1978 film Halloween. Four years after that, his sci-fi horror classic, The Thing was released. Other efforts include, The Fog, Christine, and In the Mouth of Madness.
Other Twitter users chimed in with their own suggestions and supported Peele’s adoration for Carpenter. One user replied, “In a row possibly, but Carpenter, Craven and Romero definitely have more than 3 great films.” Iconic names such as Alfred Hitchcock and David Lynch were also thrown into the mix.
Nope has been receiving rave reviews and critics are praising the film for its new spin on the sci-fi/UFO genre, which swerves away from Peele’s usual tension-rising style of horror. Although, of course, given his comedic background there are always dashes of humour laced throughout.
“Nope is out of this world. A monster mash with great performances (esp. Kaluuya) and a 50s sci-fi invasion motif. A spectacle about the horrors of spectacles. Jordan Peele has been compared to Hitchcock, but Nope shows he’s a next-gen Carpenter. Enjoy the show and don’t look up,” CNN reporter Frank Polatta said.
Nope is currently showing in US cinemas and is set for a UK release 12th August.
